Two-dimensional graphics for incorporating on three-dimensional objects

ABSTRACT

A method and a carrier medium carrying code to execute a method of designing a carton. The method includes accepting carton structural information, forming a 2D unfolded model of the substrate that when cut and folded forms the carton, and forming a 3D model of the carton. The method further includes displaying a 2D view of the unfolded carton design, and a perspective view of the 3D model. A user has the ability to manipulate the view of the 3D model, and also to select a flap of the carton on perspective view. As a result of the selecting, the method modifies the 2D unfolded view to be of the selected flap shown in an orientation suitable for designing the selected flap. The user designs the flap and the method accepts the design. The method includes modifying the perspective view of the 3D model to include any changes made in the design.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to computerized design oftwo-dimensional graphics for use on three-dimensional objects such ascontainers, cartons, boxes, and the like, and more specifically to acomputerized graphic design method to facilitate proper alignment andsizing of graphics printed on a substrate from which two-dimensionalflaps and panels are cut and folded to form a three-dimensionalcontainer bearing the graphics.

Containers, cartons, boxes, and the like (collectively referred toherein as cartons) are commonly formed into 3D-shapes from a planarsubstrate such as corrugated cardboard, although other material may beused. The substrate is often printed with graphics, scored, and thenfolded at scored edges through a typically 90° fold angle to form thethree-dimensional shape of the carton. The various planes of the carton,e.g., top, bottom, sides in the case of a rectangular box, are oftenreferred to as panels, and a panel may be formed from, or include,several flaps. A side of a carton that is made up of a single panelwithout flaps is often termed a carton surface.

Thus, in this description, a panel is a flat part of the final 3D-shapeof the carton, and a flap is a part of the unfolded design. Each panelhas one flap, and some may have more. FIG. 1A shows a box 100 whosebottom panel 102 has four flaps 103, 104, 105, and 106.

FIG. 1B depicts the nomenclature used in the present description in moredetail with reference to an exemplary carton 110. Carton 110 is formedfrom a sheet or roll of substrate material 120 that is scored, cut, (orcut and then scored), and folded generally at scored fold edges 130through a fold angle θ to define various carton panels. Fold angle θ istypically 90°, where 0° is defined as being in the plane of the unfoldedmaterial. Carton 110 is shown with upper and lower panels 140, 150,front and rear panels 160, 170, and left and right panels 180 and 190.Front panel 160 is shown as comprising a single panel and thus may alsobe referred to as carton surface 160. In the example shown in FIG. 1B,upper panel 140 is formed from two half-flaps 140A and 140B, and rightpanel 190 is formed from no less than five flaps 190A, 190B, 190C, 190D,and 190E. It is understood that panels may, but need not be, formed fromflaps.

The outer panel surfaces of cartons frequently will have been printedwith graphic designs that can advertise the product within and conveyother useful information. The printed design may be graphics per se,text, or other indicia (collectively referred to herein as graphics). Inthe prior art, a graphics artist typically will design the graphics forcontainer 110 on a panel-by-panel basis. Such design is undertakenwithout the graphics artist having knowledge of how the carton isfolded, or even how some of the panels may be formed from individualflaps, or portions of flaps. Thus the graphics for upper panel 140 maybe rendered as a first electronic file, created on a computer using asoftware drawing program, the graphics for front and rear panels 160 and170 may be rendered as second and third electronic files. The rightpanel 190 may be rendered as yet another electronic file. In someinstances the flaps that comprise a panel may themselves be created asseparate electronic files. The graphics depicted on right panel 190 maybe generated from as many as five separate electronic files, one filefor each flap 190A, . . . , 190E. While the various panel files may becombined into a single file, the point to be made is that the graphicsare generally created on a per-panel or per-flap basis, almost as thoughseparate graphic design projects were being undertaken.

In creating the various electronic files, the graphics artist generallyis concerned only with the dimensions of the various substrate areas ofinterest, e.g., the overall size of the individual panels and flaps tobe printed. How the substrate will be folded to form a carton isgenerally the responsibility of a structural designer and too often maybe of little concern to the graphics artist. Indeed, the graphics artisttypically is more concerned with how the printed graphics will look onindividual panels or on the finished product—a three-dimensional carton,than how the graphics need to be laid out on the different flaps.

Computerized tools are known in the art to aid in the structural designof the carton by embedding folding information in the structural design,and to allow the graphical designer to take a flat or planar layout and,using folding information, view the design on a computer monitor in arendered three-dimensional form.

But it can be very challenging to design and print graphics on asubstrate to ensure that after the carton is cut from the substrate andfolded, the various graphic images will have been printed with properorientation, sizing, and good registration, e.g., such that there isimage continuity for an image that may extend over more than one flap orpanel. Understandably proper orientation, sizing, and registration canbe problematic where images on several folded flaps combine to create alarger panel image, e.g., in right panel 190 in FIG. 1B. Designing andcreating such graphics is both labor intensive and very prone to error,including error from print bleeding.

Commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/762,217 toinventor Bru, published Jul. 21, 2005 as US 20050157342, and titledMETHOD FOR DESIGNING TWO-DIMENSIONAL GRAPHICS FOR USE ONTHREE-DIMENSIONAL CARTONS BEARING SUCH GRAPHICS, describes a method toaid in the design of a carton. The contents of US 20050157342 areincorporated herein by reference. The method of US 20050157342, e.g., inthe form of a program, provides for construction of a three-dimensionalmodel of the carton showing the graphics to be printed. The graphicsprogram is provided with carton structural input information includingdimensions of the various panels and flaps, fold or score lines, andfold angles; this information is available from the carton structuraldesigner. The method includes accepting graphics to be printed on apanel of a finished carton, e.g., a panel that has several flaps, andprovides for automatically positioning and manipulating the graphicsusing available carton structural information. A graphics programimplementing the method generates a single computer file containinggraphics for each panel and flap of the carton to be created from thesubstrate material. The graphics program creates both planar andthree-dimensional images of the carton for display and manipulation on acomputer monitor. The displayed images can be of the carton withgraphics. While viewing such a display, a graphics designer can rotate,scale, and otherwise manipulate the displayed graphics, as needed, toaccommodate each panel and flap, and can define clipping masks asneeded. This ability to view and manipulate a three-dimensionalcomputer-generated image of a virtual carton whose panels and flapscontain the graphics allows the graphics artist to confirm properalignment, orientation, and scaling of graphics on the finished carton.The computer-generated file is output and made available as input to acarton production system to control printing of graphics on the flatsubstrate before the substrate is cut and folded to yield thethree-dimensional carton bearing the printed graphics.

While the method of US 20050157342 provides some improvement over theprior art, there still is room for improvement. For example, theinventors have found that it is sometimes difficult to design graphicsinto the 2D unfolded view of a carton because, for example, the graphicsappear upside down or otherwise rotated in the unfolded view.

Furthermore, it is sometimes difficult to visualize which panel becomeswhich position in the 3D carton. It would be advantageous to be able touse the 3D model to interactively navigate in the 2D unfolded view ofthe carton. It further would be advantageous to be able to placealignment guides into the 3D model and see the results as guides in the2D unfolded view of the carton.

SUMMARY

Presented herein are a method and a software product implementing themethod, to aid a user, e.g., a graphic designer, to designtwo-dimensional graphics for use on three-dimensional cartons bearingsuch graphics. The method includes generating, displaying andmanipulating a three-dimensional model of the folded carton showing thegraphics to be printed. Such a display provides the user with immediatefeedback of the graphics on the folded carton. Changes to the graphicsin the two-dimensional unfolded version of the carton are immediatelyreflected in the three-dimensional model of the carton. This helps theuser to see whether the graphics are properly aligned and sized. Anaspect of the present invention provides for the designer the ability toselect flaps in the three-dimensional model. The user then can zoom inon the selected flap in the two-dimensional unfolded view of the carton.If desired, the two-dimensional unfolded view of the carton can berotated, such that, for example, the user will never have to design partof the graphics upside down. In addition, another aspect of theinvention provides for the user the ability to define three-dimensionalguides. In one implementation, the user “draws” a guide on the displayin the form of a line in one of the flaps of the 2D unfolded design.This guide is translated to a 3D guide surface. Where this surfaceintersects with the panels of the 3D model, a guide is displayed, suchthat, for example, the one guide that the user has drawn in one of theflaps may result in several guides in several flaps. The user can usethese guides when aligning objects in the different panels. This mayhelp the user to ensure continuity of the graphics over differentpanels.

One aspect of the invention is a computer-implemented method ofdesigning a carton having a plurality of panels. Each panel is made upof one or more flaps. Another aspect is a carrier medium carryingcomputer readable code to execute a method of designing a carton havinga plurality of panels. Each panel is made up of one or more flaps. Oneembodiment of the method includes accepting carton structuralinformation corresponding to a carton, forming a 2D unfolded model ofthe substrate that when cut and folded according to the cartonstructural information forms the carton, and forming a 3D model of thecarton corresponding to the carton structural information. The methodfurther includes displaying a 2D view of the unfolded carton design on afirst display, and a perspective view of a 3D model of the carton on asecond display. Such a perspective view is also called a 3D view hereinand a perspective 3D view herein. A user has the ability to manipulatethe 3D view on the second display, and also to select a flap of thecarton on the view of the 3D model on the second display. As a result ofthe selecting of a flap, the method automatically modifies the 2Dunfolded view in the first display to be of the selected flap shown inan orientation suitable for the user to design the selected flap. Theuser designs the flap and the method accepts the design. The methodincludes modifying the 3D view to include any changes made in thedesign. The method is arranged such that the user has the ability toindicate on the 3D view, an action to be performed on the 2D unfoldedview. One version of the method is arranged such that the 3D viewprovides for the user to select a flap for design, such that the 2Dunfolded view provides for the user the ability to design the selectedflap, such that the perspective 3D view of the 3D model is updated toreflect a change made in the 2D unfolded view.

In one embodiment of the method, the automatically modifying the view inthe first display is arranged so that display shows the selected flapright side up, including temporarily rotating the 2D unfolded design asrequired to produce the right side up view.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B show a carton and various faces and flaps, and is usedto define terminology.

FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of one method embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 shows, as an example, a simplified block diagram of systemcomponents of a design system that may be used to operate a methodembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 shows, as an example, a display window or screen showing atwo-dimensional image of the unfolded substrate according to oneembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 shows, as an example, a perspective 3D view of the carton whose2D unfolded view is shown in FIG. 4 according to one aspect of theinvention.

FIG. 6 shows, as an example, a perspective 3D view after a user hasselected a panel having only one flap, according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 7 shows, as an example, a zoomed 2D display of the flap selected inFIG. 6, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 shows, as an example, a graphic added onto the flap shown in the2D display of FIG. 7, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 shows, as an example, a slightly different zoomed and rotatedview of the carton than that shown in FIG. 5, with the graphic added,according to one aspect of the invention.

FIG. 10 shows, as an example, the 2D view of an unfolded carton, andFIG. 11 shows, as an example, the corresponding perspective view of the3D carton, according to an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 12 shows, as an example, a perspective view of the 3D carton with aflap selected, according to an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 13 shows, as an example, a 2D unfolded view temporarily rotated sothat the selected panel is displayed in the same orientation as shown inthe 3D perspective display of FIG. 12.

FIGS. 14 and 15 respectively show a perspective view of the 3D carton,and the corresponding 2D unfolded view of the same carton, with graphicsextending over more than one flap.

FIG. 16 shows, as an example, a guideline on a 2D zoomed view of aselected face or flap of a carton, according to one aspect of theinvention.

FIG. 17 shows, as an example, the 3D view of the carton shown in FIG.16, with the guidelines shown on all the visible flaps, according to oneaspect of the invention.

FIG. 18 shows, as an example, the overall 2D unfolded view of the cartonwith the guide lines shown on all visible flaps.

FIG. 19 shows, as an example, a 2D unfolded view after a guide plane, inthe form of one of the guide lines, was moved to be aligned with thebottom of the thick black line graphic element, according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 20 shows, as an example, a 2D unfolded view with the result ofadding a second set of guidelines, according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 21 shows a perspective 3D view of a carton at some viewing anglerelated to a camera position, with a small vertical line, and is used byway of example to describe an aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 22 shows the two endpoints of the line shown in FIG. 21 in a 2Dunfolded view of the carton, and is used to illustrate an aspect of thepresent invention.

FIG. 23 shows a 2D unfolded view with a line drawn in order to define a3D guide, according to an aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 24 shows the line in FIG. 23 extended to become a guideline line onthe flap of interest according to an aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 25A shows an exemplary panel made up of several flaps, parts ofwhich are invisible, on which graphics have been added according to anaspect of the present invention.

FIG. 25B shows how part of the graphics shown in the exemplary panel ofFIG. 25A are distributed amongst the flaps making up the panel,according to an aspect of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Presented herein is a method, apparatus, and carrier medium carryingcode to instruct a processor to execute a method. The method helpsfacilitate for a designer the proper alignment and sizing of graphicsprinted on a substrate from which two-dimensional flaps and panels arecut and folded to form a three-dimensional container bearing thegraphics.

FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of a method embodiment 200 of the invention.Using the method 200, two-dimensional graphics can be accurately createdfor printing on a substrate from which panels and flaps can be cut andfolded to form a three dimensional carton with graphics printed thereon.The method provides for a user the ability to achieve good alignment andregistration of the overall graphics on the completed three-dimensionalcarton, with reduced labor and reduced likelihood of human errorcompared to prior art methods.

The method of FIG. 2 is implemented on a processing system, e.g., acomputer system. FIG. 3 depicts system components, including a computersystem, that can be used to carry out one or more method embodiments ofthe present invention, e.g., the method 200 of the flow chart of FIG. 2.FIG. 3 shows a graphics creation system 300 that includes a computersystem 311 that has a CPU 319 and a memory 315 that typically includespersistent and non-persistent memory. Stored or loadable into memory 315are software instructions 317 of a software program 309 that whenexecuted by CPU 319 will cause a method embodiment of the presentinvention to be carried out. As indicated in FIG. 3, in some systems,the complete set of programming instructions of the program 309 thatwhen executed implements the method may be stored on a storage medium313, such as optical or magnetic storage, to be read into computersystem 311. Those skilled in the art will recognize the storage media313 may in fact be part of the computer system, or may be physicallyremote from computer system 311, and may, if desired, be accessed over acommunications link such as the Internet, a network, etc.

Computer system 311 also receives as input carton structural informationpertaining to the carton to be generated. This information may be in afile on storage 313, or may be manually input by the user, or may beprovided to the computer system in some other way.

As CPU 319 executes instructions of the program 309, the graphics artistcan create and then lay out the various graphic elements, e.g., imagesand/or text for the panel and flap areas of a carton. Commerciallyavailable graphic design software is known in the art, and may be usedas part of program 309 at this juncture. Alternatively, dedicated codemay be included in software 309 for this task. Exemplary commerciallyavailable software includes PackEdge, manufactured by Esko-Graphicslocated in Gent/Belgium

Typically the graphics artist will use one or more input devices such asa mouse, a trackball, a joystick, a digitizer tablet, and even acomputer keyboard to create such images, and/or to load images frommemory 315. Alternatively, the images may already be available as filesin storage 313, or otherwise be available. A vast quantity of images isavailable, for example, from commercial vendors, and can be downloadedfrom numerous websites via the Internet.

The computer system includes a display subsystem 321 that includes oneor more display screens. Two screens are shown in FIG. 3, and those inthe art will understand that in alternate versions, the contents of thetwo screens 323, 324 may be shown as two windows in a single screen. Thegraphics artist can view on display screens 323, 324 views of the cartonbeing designed. Shown in screen 323 is a 2D unfolded view 349 of thecarton showing cuts and folds, while shown in screen 324 are 3D shadedviews 351, 353 of the complete carton corresponding to the unfolded view349. The displayed images may manipulated and new images viewed. Forexample, as described in more detail below, the graphics artist cansuperimpose on a screen, e.g., display 323, the created (and/ordownloaded) graphics upon a planar outline of the carton 349. Program317 uses the structural information to copy and position the images onthe various flaps that contribute to the panel being worked on.

Since the structural information available to program 317 includesfolding details and characteristics of the substrate, the artist canreadily determine areas of panels and flaps that need not be printed atall because they are covered by portions of other panels or flaps. Atthis juncture, appropriate clipping masks can be generated by program317 such that covered-over substrate portions are not needlessly printedwith graphics. Further, appropriate clipping masks can reducedegradation of the printed imagery. In addition, the effects of inkbleeding into the substrate and into adjacent regions of the graphicsare also reduced.

As described in more detail below, the graphics artist can also causeprogram 317 to create a three-dimensional image of the carton repletewith printed graphics. Two such images 351, 353 are shown as beingdisplayed on screen 324. In the left-hand image 351, one of the sideflaps is not yet folded, whereas in the right-hand portion of thedisplay, the side flap has been folded through a 90° fold angle, andimage 351 has been rotated to permit in view 353 an end-on view of theside flap and the composite image printed on the side panel.

Once the graphics artist is satisfied that the images to be printed onthe various panels and flaps have been properly created, program 317 cangenerate an output graphics file 331, shown here as being stored in astorage subsystem 333 which may, in some embodiments, be the same asstorage subsystem 313.

The remaining portion of FIG. 3 will now be described to illustrate thepractical use of output graphics file 331. A carton fabrication system360 is depicted in FIG. 3 as receiving data and information(collectively data) that is input from graphics file 331, and alsoreceiving as input raw planar substrate material 361 that is to beprinted with graphics, according to aspects of the present invention,and formed into cartons 355. Carton fabrication system 360 benefits fromaspects of the present invention, but need not be considered part ofaspects of the present invention.

In the broadest sense, system 360 may be said to include a printingsub-system 363 that is responsive to data on graphics file 331, acutting sub-system 365 that is responsive to cutting data also presenton graphics file 331, and a folding sub-system 367 that will foldalready-printed, already cut and scored substrate along fold-lines,defined by data on graphics file 331. In practice carton fabricationsystem 360 may include other sub-systems and the various sub-systems maybe located remotely from each other. For example in some applications itmay be advantageous to print planar substrate material 361 at onefacility, and to then ship the printed planar substrates to anotherfacility, perhaps a great distance away, for cutting and folding.Economics and equipment available at a given fabrication site may governthe choice of various possible implementations of carton fabricationsystem 360.

In one embodiment, the output of system 360 is in the form of completedcartons 355, each of which has printed on relevant panels and flapsproperly sized and oriented graphics, according to aspects of thepresent invention. For ease of illustration completed cartons 355 aredepicted in FIG. 3 in a closed configuration, e.g., as if merchandise tobe shipped is already packed within the cartons.

Returning again to the flow chart of FIG. 2, in 203, carton structuralinformation relating to the physical characteristics of the carton to befabricated are input. Such information is typically already available tothe structural designer of the carton. In one embodiment, thisinformation includes parameters such as the overall length, width, anddepth dimensions of the carton, the area and orientation of eachsurface, panel, and flap, the folding or score lines and fold anglesassociated the panels and flaps, and the fold order. Other structuralinformation can include thickness and composition of the substrate,including ease of folding information.

In 205, the method accepts graphics for each surface or overall panel ofthe completed carton that is to bear graphics. The graphics may alreadyexist, e.g., in the form of graphic files, or a graphics artist maycreate the graphics, e.g., on the system 300. Even if the graphics arefrom an existing file, the graphics may still need to be manipulated soas to be suitable for printing on the final carton.

In 207 the method uses the carton structural information to create a 2Dstructural model of the substrate, and to display, e.g., on displaysystem 321 a two-dimensional image of the unfolded substrate, indicatingwhere the cut lines and scoring or fold lines are located. The folds,cuts, and scores may, for example be displayed in different colors. FIG.4 shows a black and white version of such a display 400.

In 209, the method uses the carton structural information to form a 3Dmodel of the carton, and displays a perspective 3D view, e.g., a shadedsurface view of the 3D carton. FIG. 5 shows such a view 500 of thecarton whose 2D unfolded view 400 is shown in FIG. 4. Note that in oneembodiment operating on a system that includes a display subsystem 321with at least two screens, e.g., 323 and 234, the displays of FIGS. 4and 5 are shown simultaneously on two display screens of the displaysystem 321, as shown in FIG. 3, while in another embodiment, the twoviews 400 and 500 are shown as different windows of the same screen. Inyet another embodiment operating on a system that includes a displaysubsystem 321 with at least two screens, e.g., 323 and 234, initiallythe two views 400 and 500 are shown as different windows of the samescreen, on which the user can indicate which display is to appear on aseparate window.

Using one or more of various computer input devices such as a mouse, atrackball, a digitizer tablet, a keyboard, etc., the user, e.g., agraphics artist can view the 2D unfolded display on the computer monitorand superimpose computer-generated graphics over monitor-displayedvarious panels of the carton in the 2D unfolded view 400. The userfurther can manipulate the carton, e.g., zoom in and out on the 3D view,rotate and tumble the 3D viewed model.

By simultaneously providing a 2D unfolded view and a perspective 3D viewof the carton, one aspect of the invention facilitates the design taskby providing for the user the ability to indicate, e.g., select on the3D view, an action to be performed on the 2D unfolded view. Furthermore,actions performed on the 2D unfolded view may be viewed on the 3D viewby the user. In the 2D unfolded view, the user, e.g., the graphic artistcarries out the design task of superimposing graphics on the panels bypositioning the graphics on all the flaps that contribute to this panelusing information provided at step 203. The graphics artist canmanipulate, e.g., stretch, shrink, rotate, invert, copy, cut, and pasteportions of the graphics over the 2D outline of the substrate untilsatisfied that properly proportioned graphics cover the panel and flapregions intended to bear printed graphics. The results are viewable onthe 3D view.

In block 211, the user selects flaps which are to bear graphics anddesigns/places the graphics on each such flap. This is typically carriedout flap-by-flap.

One aspect of the invention is that the selecting of the flap is done inthe 3D view, while the design is done on the 2D unfolded view. Theresult of the design updates the 3D view.

Referring first to 213, a common task is selecting a flap on which todesign. Recall that a flap may be a component of a panel. One aspect ofthe invention is providing for the user to select a flap in the 3D view.One aspect of the invention is that when a user selects a flap in the 3Dview, the 2D display is updated to show the selected flap. Anotheraspect of the invention is zooming the 2D unfolded view of the flap tofacilitate adding graphics to the flap.

Another aspect of the invention, shown as 215 in FIG. 2, is theproviding for the user by the method the ability to interactively andtemporarily rotate the planar 2D image of the unfolded carton such thatthe selected flap's image is shown in the 2D display rotated to be theright way up to facilitate design. Thus, the method includes determininghow the planar image of the unfolded substrate needs to be rotated sothat the image of the selected flap is shown in the 2D display the rightway up in an orientation to facilitate designing the flap. The methodfurther includes rotating the image shown in the 2D display by thedetermined rotation amount. The rotation is, e.g., by 90, 180, 270degrees, or by any angle that provides for a desired orientation.

Another aspect of the invention, shown as 217 in FIG. 2, includes using3D guides to ensure image continuity over different panels in the 3Dimage of folded carton. This is explained further below when discussingthe following detailed example.

Workflow

Consider a simple exemplary carton to be designed, e.g., the cartonshown with no graphics in the 2D and 3D views of FIG. 4 and FIG. 5,respectively. In the 3D view (FIG. 5), the user may rotate the displayas needed to show one or another flap of interest. For example, the usercan select a flap in the 3D view, as shown in FIG. 6 for the simple caseof the panel having only one flap. Selecting the flap, e.g., by clickingwith a pointing device, causes the flap to be highlighted in the 3Ddisplay to provide feedback to the user. For example, the outline of theflap can be shown in one or another color, or the flap surface canchange color, and so forth. FIG. 6, being a monochrome representation,shows the selected flap 603 having a broken-line outline.

The selection can be displayed in a format that is automatically zoomedand automatically rotated. By automatically is included the case of theuser clicking on a button that causes an update of one or another of thedisplays, or both displays, the case of the user indicating to themethod that the previous task is complete, and the case of the zoomingoccurring without any indication by the user other than the selecting.Different embodiments thus may cause the automatic zooming and rotationwith or without user instruction.

In this example, by pressing the button 605 indicated with “Zoom In onSelected Plane,” the 2-D unfolded version of the carton is automaticallyzoomed in on the selected flap 603. The 2-D unfolded view will also betemporarily rotated so that what is the top line of the flap in the 3-Dview is also the top line of the flap in the 2-D display. The zoomed 2Ddisplay of the selected flap 603 is shown in FIG. 7.

How to calculate the required rotation is described in more detailbelow.

The user is now in a position to add any graphical elements to the flap603, as required. FIG. 8 shows graphics 803 added onto flap 603. Notethat the writing is the right side up on this flap. This is because ofthe rotation, if necessary, when the selected flap is displayed in zoommanner in the 2D unfolded design display.

More details on designing the individual graphic elements to the flap isas described, for example, in above-mentioned US Patent publication US20050157342, except as further elaborated below.

Another aspect of the invention is the updating of the 3D view as thedesign proceeds in the 2D unfolded view. Thus, the 3D view 500 isprovided with an “update” button 503 (see FIG. 5). When the user presseson the ‘update’ button 503 in the 3D view window 500, the 3D viewimmediately shows the 3D model of the carton with the graphicssuperimposed. FIG. 9 shows a slightly differently zoomed and rotatedview of the box than shown in FIG. 5, but with the graphics 803 placedon flap 603 after the update button is pressed.

The viewer continues placing graphics on each of the flaps by, forexample, rotating the 3D view, selecting the flap in the 3D view, thenadding the graphics on the 2D unfolded view of the flap selected in the3D view.

In this example, the final 2D unfolded view 400 and 3D view 500 areshown in FIGS. 10 and 11, respectively as 2D design 1000 and 3D design1100, respectively. Note that the text of back panel 1103 is upside downin the 2D unfolded view 1100, even though it is upright (althoughinvisible) in the 3D view 1000. Consider rotating the 3D view togenerate the view shown in FIG. 12, and selecting this panel, so thatthe panel 1003 is shown with a broken line outline in FIG. 12. Supposethe user indicated, by pressing the “Zoom in on selected plane button”605 that he or she wishes to view this panel in 2D, e.g., for possibledesign editing. The resulting 2D unfolded display as shown in FIG. 13 isof the 2D unfolded design 1000 temporarily rotated so that the panel 603is displayed right side up, e.g., in the same orientation as shown inthe 3D display of FIG. 12, rather than upside down as shown in FIG. 11.

Another aspect of the invention (block 217 in FIG. 2) is the provisionof 3D guides (also called 3D guide lines) to aid in the design process,in particular, to ensure image continuity in 3D of an image that extendsover different panels. 3D guides will now be explained with aid of anexample. Suppose that a user wants to add a thick black line that goesacross side panel 1, front panel, side panel 2 and the back panel of theexample carton. FIGS. 14 and 15 respectively show the 3D view and 2Dunfolded view of the desired carton 1403.

The design process includes designing one flap at a time. Without sometool, it is not easy to place designs that overlap over several flaps,such as the black line in carton 1403.

One aspect of the invention is that a user can place a guide line on aselected flap of the 2D unfolded view. In one embodiment, this may beeither after selecting a flap, or in the overall 2D unfolded view. Inanother embodiment, the user first selected the flap, and in yet anotherembodiment, the user directly places the guide line on the overall 2Dunfolded view, and the method determined which flap this line is on. Theguide line can be horizontal, or vertical, or any arbitrary orientationdesired by the designer to aid in the design process. Furthermore, inone embodiment, only part of a guide line on the flap is drawn, and themethod automatically extends the guide line to the edges of the flap.

Continuing with the exemplary carton, FIG. 16 shows one such guide line1605 on a 2D zoomed view of a selected face or flap. In one embodiment,the guide lines are displayed in a distinct visible color. In thedrawings included herein, a broken line is used to show the guide lines.

Note that in the example of FIG. 16, the guide line is a straighthorizontal line. Embodiments of the invention also provide for curvedguide lines and also any straight lines at any angle forming guidelines.

Defining such a guide line on a flap defines a guide surface that may behorizontal or vertical depending on the orientation of the flap and/orthe guide line, or perpendicular to the flap in the 3D model of thecarton. In the case of the guide line being a straight line, the guidesurface is a guide plane. The method includes from, the initial guideline, ascertaining which flap the line is on in the case that thedefining of the line was not after selecting a flap, and furtherincludes determining the 3D guide surface that includes the defined lineas an intersection of the guide surface and the selected or ascertainedflap.

Once the guide surface is determined, the method determinesintersections of the guide surface on one or more other visible flaps,i.e., the other flaps that are part of the outer surface of the carton,and forms guide lines thereon. Typically, the method determines theintersections with all other visible flaps. The 2D unfolded view and the3D model are updated to include the guide lines. Thus, 3D guide linesare formed in the 2D unformed view and in the 3D view of the carton.

In one embodiment, the guide surface is planar, so is a guide plane.This is the example starting with FIG. 16. FIG. 17 shows the 3D view ofthe carton with the guide lines on all the visible flaps, and FIG. 18shows the overall 2D unfolded view with the guide lines shown on allvisible flaps.

The guide lines shown on the 2D unfolded view provide an aid for thedesigner to properly align graphics on each face, for example, so thatthere is continuity on a graphic that extends over more than one flap.

As an example, suppose that the thick black line on the front panel isto be shown on the back panel and two side panels, as shown in FIGS. 14and 15.

Using the 2D unfolded view, e.g., the 2D zoomed view, or using the 2Dunfolded view, a user may select and move or rotate the guide plane sothat the guide line is aligned with a desired location, e.g., a locationto guide placement of a graphic element. FIG. 19 shows a 2D unfoldedview after guide line 1605 was moved to be aligned with the bottom ofthe thick black line. The thick black lines may now be added to theother three panels, e.g., in the case that the width/thickness of theblack line is known.

More than one guide plane of guide lines may be added and manipulated.For example, in the case that the thickness of the black line added tothe front panel is not known, further guide lines may be added toprovide a guide for the thickness of the other black lines to be addedto the other flaps. FIG. 20 shows the result of adding a second set ofguide lines, such that the guide line of the second set on the frontpanel is aligned to the top of the thick black line. The black lines maynow be added, one flap at a time using, e.g., zoomed 2D unfolded viewsof each flap. The result will be the design shown in FIG. 14 in 3Dperspective form, and in FIG. 15 in 2D unfolded form.

Some details of the designing of the graphics on each flap have not beenincluded for the sake of brevity, and for such details, the reader isreferred to co-assigned US Patent application publication US 20050157342to inventor Bru. For example, during placement of a design on a selectedflap, since the graphic artist knows from information provided at 203the sequence by which the panels and flaps are to be folded, clippingmasks can now be defined. Such masks can avoid printing on regions ofsubstrate material that will ultimately be covered as the result of afolded-over overlying regions of panel or flap material. Printingresources can thus be conserved, print bleeding can be minimized andglue results can be optimized.

At this juncture the graphics artist has prepared what he or shebelieves to be a computer-generated graphics file representing images tobe printed upon and cover, in proper orientation, size, and alignment,relevant portions of the carton panels and flaps. Referring again to theflow chart of FIG. 2, in 219 the graphics artist may view acomputer-generated 3D image of the carton with the graphics placedthereon, and visually confirm such aspects as the alignment and size ofgraphics, the esthetics, and correct graphics as required. Using one ofthe computer input devices, the graphic artist can manipulate (e.g.,rotate, resize, etc.) the computer displayed image of the carton to viewthe various panels and flaps. The confirming of proper graphic alignmentmay be especially important in the case that adjacent portions of panelsand/or flaps bear a sub-portion of an overall image that should appearin good alignment on the carton surface.

After making such adjustments to the graphics as appear necessary, thegraphics artist allows the method to create, in 221, acomputer-generated output graphics file. This output file can then beprovided as graphics input to a system or portions of a system used toprint and then fabricate the desired cartons.

Some technical details of some of the aspects described above are nowprovided.

Computer Representation of the Carton

Generating a 3D model of the carton and viewing a computer-generatedimage of 3D folded carton (207 in flow chart 200) includes using thestructural information input in 203 to form a 3D model of the foldedcarton. This 3D model is maintained in memory of the computer system.

In one embodiment, the 3D model is represented in memory by a C++ objectof class Solid. A Solid has the following characteristics:

A Solid has several Surfaces. A Surface has several Triangles. ATriangle has three Vertices. A Vertex has (X,Y,Z)-coordinates (alsocalled 3D coordinates), and (u, v)-unfolded-view coordinates, alsocalled 2D unfolded view coordinates, or simply 2D coordinates. The(X,Y,Z)-coordinates describe a point in 3D and the (u, v)-unfolded-viewcoordinates describe which point in the 2D unfolded view corresponds tothe 3D point (X,Y,Z).

In more general terms, the method includes forming a 3D model of thecarton, and maintaining a representation of the 3D model. Therepresentation of the 3D model includes surfaces that have elementalsurfaces, e.g., triangles. Each elemental surface is defined by a set ofpoints, e.g., vertices of a triangle in the case of triangles. Themethod includes maintaining a correspondence between the 3D view and the2D unfolded view of a carton by maintaining a correspondence between the3D coordinates and the 2D unfolded view coordinates of the set of pointsof the elemental surfaces.

The method further includes maintaining for the 3D model an indicationof which surfaces in the 3D model are horizontal and which surfaces arevertical. In one embodiment, the method maintains with an object Solid,e.g., maintaining in memory with the 3D model, a structure, e.g., an upvector that indicates which surfaces in Solid are horizontal and whichsurfaces are vertical.

To generate a view for display, the 3D Solid is projected from aselected camera position onto a projection plane. How to so project is acomputer graphics technique well known to those in the art. In oneembodiment, the drawing being put onto the display of the 3D projectionis carried out using OpenGL calls. OpenGL is a well-known softwareinterface (an API) that includes an interface to several hundredcomputer graphic functions, including shaded graphics. See for example,www.opengl.org.

In one embodiment, generating new views from different angles is carriedout by changing the camera position.

Temporarily Rotating the 2D Unfolded View

Temporarily rotating the 2D unfolded view (item 215 in flow chart) is inorder to facilitate adding graphics the right way up to a flap. Bytemporarily rotating is meant rotating the view only. The datarepresenting the 2D unfolded model of the substrate remains stored in anunaltered orientation. The rotation facilitates the drawing and addingof graphical elements that would not be the right-way-up if the complete2D unfolded view is the right-way-up.

Note that it is possible to permanently rotate the representation of the2D unfolded substrate. This has the disadvantage that while a desiredflap may be rotated to aid design of that flap, other flaps would thenbe rotated in the wrong way.

In one embodiment of the present invention, by clicking on the “Zoom Inon Selected Plane” button 605 after selecting a flap (see FIG. 6), theuser can cause the entire 2D unfolded view to be rotated 90, 180 or 270degrees as required. The method includes maintaining a data structurerepresenting the 2D unfolded model and the view thereof. The datastructure includes a tag indicating the amount of rotation.

In one embodiment, when the method, e.g. on user command, saves the dataof the 2D model into a file in the storage system of the computer system300, the tag is read and the rotation reversed, so that the file storedis in non-rotated form.

When a user selects a flap in the 3D image 500 of the folded carton, andthen clicks in the zoom button 605 (FIG. 6), the method includesdetermining the orientation of the flap in the three-dimensional view,which will ascertain how the entire 2D unfolded view is to be rotated.

For this, when the user clicks on the 3D display 500, the knowntechnique of ray tracing is used to determine which elemental surface,e.g., triangle of the Solid model of the carton intersects with the rayoriginating from the camera position through to the clicked point on thedisplay plane. The so-determined triangle belongs to a surface. This isthe surface of the selected flap.

Once the flap is determined, the method calculates the required rotationof the selected flap surface in such a way that lines that are verticalin the 3D view are also vertical in the 2D unfolded view.

FIG. 21 shows a 3D view at some viewing angle related to a cameraposition. For this view, FIG. 21 shows the screen X_(S), Y_(S) axes.Consider a small vertical line 2107. Suppose the user clicks on a pointshown as 2103 of the vertical line 2107 in the 3D view. In thecoordinate space of the 3D view-we call these the screen coordinates,according to the shown X_(S)- and Y_(S)-axes in the FIG. 21. Now addanother point 2105 that is vertically just above point 2103, so havingthe same X_(S)-coordinate as 2103, and a slightly smallerY_(S)-coordinate than point 2103.

To determine the orientation of the same line 2107 in the 2D unfoldedview 400, the method determines the coordinates in the 2D unfolded viewof the same two points 2103 and 2105. One embodiment uses ray tracing todetermine with which triangle or triangles points 2103 and 2105intersect in the 3D model. This provides the 3D (X, Y, Z)-coordinates ofthe intersection points. The method uses texture mapping to determinethe (u, v)-coordinates of the intersection points in the 2D unfoldedsheet.

In more detail, each intersection point corresponding to 2103 and 2105belongs to a particular triangle of the 3D model of the carton. Thevertices of the triangle are mapped to (u, v) coordinates in the 2Dunfolded view for the triangle. For each intersection point, the methodincludes interpolating between the 2D (u, v)-coordinates of the verticesof the triangle to determine the 2D (u, v) coordinates in theintersection point. One embodiment of the interpolation includescalculating the barycentric coordinates of the intersection points. Suchand other interpolation methods are known to those in the art ofcomputer graphics.

FIG. 22 shows the two points 2103 and 2105 and the line 2107 on the 2Dunfolded view of the carton after the (u,v) coordinates have beendetermined. From FIG. 22, it can be seen the vertical line in the 3Dview becomes an almost horizontal line in the 2D unfolded view of thecarton. The 2D model would need to be rotated 90 degreescounterclockwise so that what is vertical in the 3D view appears theright way up in the 2D unfolded view.

3D Guides

By a 3D guide is meant a guide surface, e.g., a guide plane in 3D withthe associated set of guide lines. The case of guide plane will bedescribed here in more detail. In one version, to define a 3D guide, auser draws a line in one of the flaps of the 2D unfolded view. FIG. 23shows a 2D unfolded view with a line 2303 drawn in. The drawn line is asegment of the guide line on the flap. Note that in an actualimplementation, this line may be added in the zoomed view of the flapand in other views. Furthermore, note that in an actual implementation,the line would appear on the screen in a color rather than as a brokenline as in FIG. 23.

Drawing such a guide line segment provides two (u,v) coordinates on the2D unfolded sheet. The method uses these two (u,v) coordinates defininga line on the intersection of the desired guide plane with one of theflaps to determine which flap in the 3D model the guide line segment ison.

Determining which flap in the 3D model the guide line segment is onincludes the following pseudocode, Until the flaps for the endpoints ofthe guide lines segment points are determined:  For each of thetriangles of the Solid defining the carton,  determine which triangle(s)the endpoints of the guide line  belongs to as follows:   Using the (u,v) coordinates of the vertices of the   triangle, calculate thebarycentric coordinates of the two   endpoints of the guide linesegment.   Ascertain if either of the endpoints belong to the  triangle. The ascertaining uses the barycentric   coordinates. Supposethe barycentric coordinates are   denoted (s, t). If both s and t, andalso s + t for any point   is in the [0.1]-interval, then thecorresponding point   belongs to the triangle.   If the points do notbelong to this triangle, continue with   the next triangle.  Eachtriangle belongs to a surface, so determining the  triangles to whichthe endpoints belong to determines the  surface (or flap) the endpointsbelong to

The method further determines, from knowledge of which flap the guideline belongs to, the intersection points of the guide plane with theoutline of the flap to determine the complete guide line on the flap.FIG. 24 shows the original line 2303 extended to become guide line 2403on the flap of interest.

The method further includes determining the guide plane, having as inputthe guide line on the flap, and the flap this guide line belongs to. Theline is defined by the two intersection points on the line. Theseintersection points are denoted as vectors p1 and p2, as calculatedabove. These intersecting points are available in (u,v)-coordinates, andfrom knowledge of the triangles of the Solid, and the vertices, also in(X, Y, Z)-3D coordinates.

From this information, the guide plane is determined. The guide plane in3D is fully defined, for example, by the vector that is normal(perpendicular) to the guide plane, and by the distance of the guideplane along this normal.

The following pseudocode describes a decision tree by which the normalof the guide plane can be determined according to one embodiment of theinvention. If the flap on which the guideline was drawn is more or lesshorizontal, then  the guide plane is vertical and the guide normalhorizontal Else  If the guide line itself is horizontal in 3D, then  the guide plane should be horizontal and the guide normal   vertical Else (if the guide line is not horizontal, and the flap is not  more orless horizontal), then   the guide plane should be perpendicular to theflap

Recall that in one embodiment, an up vector is maintained with the Solidobject of the carton. The up vector points up, so determining whichsurfaces are horizontal and which surfaces are vertical. A flap orsurface is more or less horizontal if the normal of that surface isapproximately parallel to the up vector defined in the Solid. The threevertices of a triangle of the surface provide for calculating the normalof the surface. Ascertaining if this normal is more-or-less parallel tothe up vector is carried out by ascertaining if the dot product of thisnormal with the up vector of the Solid is approximately ±1, e.g., in oneembodiment, has magnitude greater than 0.99. Furthermore, a line isascertained to be horizontal if the dot product of the line of interestand the up vector is 0, e.g., in the case of the intersection points, ifthe dot product of the vector resulting from subtracting p1 from p2 andthe up vector is 0.

The calculation in the following is carried out with the (X, Y,Z)-coordinates of the intersection points.

In one embodiment, denoting the dot product operator by ● and the crossproduct operator by x, the method determines if

abs(normal_of_flap●up_vector)>0.99.

If so, the normal of the guide plane, denoted normal_of_guide, is

normal_of_guide=(p2−p1)×up_vector.

Else, if the above absolute value is less than or equal to approximately1, e.g., 0.99, then the method determines if

(p2−p1)●up_vector=0.

If so then

normal_of_guide=up_vector.

Otherwise, denoting the normal of the flap by normal_of_flap,

normal_of_guide=(p2−p1)×normal_of_flap.

The distance of this guide plane along normal_of_guide, denoteddistance_of_guide is

distance_of_guide=p1●normal_of_guide.

Calculation of Intersection Lines of Guide Plane with the 3D Model

Once the guide plane is determined, the method ascertains if there areintersection points of the guide plane with the outlines of all theflaps of the carton. For such ascertaining, in addition tonormal_of_guide and distance_of_guide, one embodiment uses an outline ofa surface in the form of a line of two points, denoted by vectors q1 andq2. The line can also be described parametrically as the set of pointsq=q1+t*(q2−q1), with t a parameter that varies between 0 and 1.

Suppose that there is an intersection point between the line and theguide plane, and denote this point p. p lies on the guide plane. Thismeans that the distance of the intersection point p to the guide planeis 0. Therefore,

p● normal_of_guide—distance_of_guide=0

Furthermore, p is a point of the outline, so there is a value of t suchthatp=q1+t*(q2−q1) (2)

The method includes solving these equations. If there is a solution fort between 0 and 1, then there is an intersection point.

The ascertaining of whether there is an intersection is repeated foreach outline of each surface, and results in a set of intersectionlines. For each of these intersection lines, both the(X,Y,Z)-coordinates and the (u,v)-unfolded-view coordinates are known orare readily determined.

From these coordinates, the method includes drawing the intersectionlines in the 2D unfolded view, and further, drawing any visible parts ofthe intersection lines in the perspective 3D view of the carton.

Invisible Flaps

One aspect of the invention includes providing for a user the ability toselect a flap that is invisible in the 3D model because one or moreother flaps hide the invisible flap from view. Different embodiments ofthe invention include one or more of animation of the perspective 3Dview, the ability to make a flap invisible to see underneath such aflap, and adding transparency to the perspective 3D view.

In one embodiment, animation is added in the perspective 3D view, suchthat the user can view the design in a half open state in whichinvisible flaps become visible.

In one embodiment, a selected flap can be made invisible to provide aview of any otherwise invisible flaps that are underneath the flap justmade invisible.

In one embodiment, a view having transparency may be selected for theperspective 3D view, such that invisible flaps underneath visible flapsmay be seen. The user can then select such an invisible flap, e.g., bydouble clicking on a pointing/selection device such as a mouse, or byright clicking on a pointing/selection device having a left and a rightbutton, such as a mouse having at least two buttons.

Panels Consisting of More than One Flap

Some panels of the carton are made up of more than one flap. In oneembodiment when a user selects a flap that is part of a panel that ismade up of more than one flap, and the “Zoom In on Selected Plane”button 605 is clicked in the 3D perspective display 500, not only is theselected flap shown, and rotated so that graphic element(s) may be addedthe right way up, but also the complete panel of the carton isdisplayed, e.g., as an outline in the 2D unfolded view. This part of thepanel is displayed in the form it would appear in the 3D folded carton.For example, FIG. 25A shows a panel 2500 made up of several flaps, partsof which are invisible. Suppose the flap 2503 is selected, e.g., in theperspective 3D view (not shown) and the “Zoom In on Selected Plane” isasserted. Then in addition to the flap 2503, the complete panel isoutlined on the 2D zoomed display. This outline is shown by broken line2505 in FIG. 25A.

Suppose it is desired to add the graphical element 2507 that has thetext “THIS WOULD BE THE REQUIRED EFFECT. THIS” not only onto theselected flap 2503, but also so that the graphical element is shown onthe panel including the visible parts of the other flaps of the panel,as shown in FIG. 25A.

One aspect of the invention is that by placing the graphical element2507 such that the part that is on the selected flap is accuratelyplaced, the method can automatically distribute the parts of thegraphical element 2507 that are on flaps of the panel other than theselected flap onto the corresponding flaps, including transforming eachpart of the graphical element 2507 so that it is correctly oriented andmatched in the folded carton.

FIG. 25B shows the part of the unfolded 2D substrate of the flaps 2550that make up the panel that includes the selected flap 2503, with thetext “THIS WOULD BE THE REQUIRED EFFECT. THIS” placed as shown in FIG.25A. As can be seen, the part of the graphical element 2507 not on theselected flap 2503 has been segmented into segments for each flap, anddistributed, in an appropriately transformed manner, to the flaps otherthan flap 2503 that make up the panel.

How, in one embodiment, the distribution and transformation of thegraphical element segments are achieved is described in more detail inthe above-referenced, incorporated herein by reference, co-assignedpatent application published as US 20050157342.

Thus has been described a computer-implemented method that providestools for a user to create and manipulate graphics for use on cartons.

Note also that one aspect of the invention is a carton produced as aresult of using an embodiment of the computer implemented methoddescribed herein.

While aspects of the present invention have been described with respectto creating and manipulating graphics for use on cartons, it isunderstood that three-dimensional forms other than cartons could insteadbe used. It is also understood that the carton (or otherthree-dimensional form) need not be closeable, e.g., if rectangular, thecarton may have only five surfaces, e.g., no top surface. For example aninverted, bottomless, pyramid-shaped structure could bear graphicsdesigned according to aspects of the present invention, as could amultitude of other three-dimensional forms that can be created bycutting and folding a planar substrate.

Note that the term “automatically” is used at several points in thedescription. In some embodiments, the automatic task may be performedafter the user commands the system to do so, e.g., by a click on agraphically displayed button, and in other embodiments, the automatictask may be performed with no explicit user command, such as a click ona graphically displayed button. The term automatic and automaticallyencompass both cases.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the followingdiscussions, it is appreciated that throughout the specificationdiscussions utilizing terms such as “ascertaining,” “processing,”“computing,” “calculating,” “determining” or the like, refer to theaction and/or processes of a computer or computing system, or similarelectronic computing device, that manipulate and/or transform datarepresented as physical, such as electronic, quantities into other datasimilarly represented as physical quantities.

In a similar manner, the term “CPU” and “processor” may refer to anydevice or portion of a device that processes electronic data, e.g., fromregisters and/or memory to transform that electronic data into otherelectronic data that, e.g., may be stored in registers and/or memory. A“computer” or a “computing machine” or a “computing platform” mayinclude one or more processors.

The methodologies described herein are, in one embodiment, performableby a machine which includes a one or more processors that acceptcomputer-readable (also called machine-readable) code containinginstructions. For any of the methods described herein, when theinstructions are executed by the machine, the machine performs themethod. Any machine capable of executing a set of instructions(sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by thatmachine are included. Thus, one a typical machine may be exemplified bya typical processing system that includes one or more processors. Eachprocessor may include one or more of a CPU, a graphics processing unit,and a programmable DSP unit. The processing system further may include amemory subsystem including main RAM and/or a static RAM, and/or ROM. Abus subsystem may be included for communicating between the components.If the processing system requires a display, such a display may beincluded, e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube(CRT) display. If manual data entry is required, the processing systemalso includes an input device such as one or more of an alphanumericinput unit such as a keyboard, a pointing control device such as amouse, and so forth. The term memory unit as used herein alsoencompasses a storage system such as a disk drive unit. The processingsystem in some configurations may include a sounds output device, and anetwork interface device. The memory subsystem thus includes a carriermedium that carries computer-readable code (e.g., software) includinginstructions for performing, when executed by the processing system, oneof more of the methods described herein. Note that when the methodincludes several elements, e.g., several steps, no ordering of suchelements is implied, unless specifically stated. The software may residein the hard disk, or may also reside, completely or at least partially,within the RAM and/or within the processor during execution thereof bythe computer system. Thus, the memory and the processor also constitutecarrier medium carrying computer-readable code.

In alternative embodiments, the machine operates as a standalone deviceor may be connected, e.g., networked to other machines, in a networkeddeployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or aclient machine in server-client network environment, or as a peermachine in a peer-to-peer or distributed network environment. Themachine may be a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box(STB), a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a webappliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable ofexecuting a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specifyactions to be taken by that machine.

Note that while some diagram(s) only show(s) a single processor and asingle memory that carries the computer-readable code, those in the artwill understand that many of the components described above areincluded, but not explicitly shown or described in order not to obscurethe inventive aspect. For example, while only a single machine isillustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include anycollection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (ormultiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed herein.

Thus, one embodiment of each of the methods described herein is in theform of a computer program that executes on a processing system, e.g., aone or more processors that are part of carton design system. Thus, aswill be appreciated by those skilled in the art, embodiments of thepresent invention may be embodied as a method, an apparatus such as aspecial purpose apparatus, an apparatus such as a data processingsystem, or a carrier medium, e.g., a computer program product. Thecarrier medium carries computer readable code for controlling aprocessing system to implement a method. Accordingly, aspects of thepresent invention may take the form of a method, an entirely hardwareembodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combiningsoftware and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present invention maytake the form of carrier medium (e.g., a computer program product on acomputer-readable storage medium) carrying computer-readable programcode embodied in the medium.

The software may further be transmitted or received over a network viathe network interface device. While the carrier medium is shown in anexemplary embodiment to be a single medium, the term “carrier medium”should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., acentralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches andservers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term“carrier medium” shall also be taken to include any medium that iscapable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions forexecution by the machine and that cause the machine to perform any oneor more of the methodologies of the present invention. A carrier mediummay take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media,volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media includes, forexample, optical, magnetic disks, and magneto-optical disks. Volatilemedia includes dynamic memory, such as main memory. Transmission mediaincludes coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, including thewires that comprise a bus subsystem. Transmission media may also takethe form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated duringradio wave and infrared data communications. For example, the term“carrier medium” shall accordingly be taken to include, but not belimited to, solid-state memories, optical and magnetic media, andcarrier wave signals.

It will be understood that the steps of methods discussed are performedin one embodiment by an appropriate processor (or processors) of aprocessing (i.e., computer) system executing instructions(computer-readable code) stored in storage. It will also be understoodthat the invention is not limited to any particular implementation orprogramming technique and that the invention may be implemented usingany appropriate techniques for implementing the functionality describedherein. The invention is not limited to any particular programminglanguage or operating system.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristicdescribed in connection with the embodiment is included in at least oneembodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases“in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughoutthis specification are not necessarily all referring to the sameembodiment, but may. Furthermore, the particular features, structures orcharacteristics may be combined in any suitable manner, as would beapparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, inone or more embodiments.

Similarly it should be appreciated that in the above description ofexemplary embodiments of the invention, various features of theinvention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure,or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosureand aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventiveaspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires morefeatures than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as thefollowing claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than allfeatures of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claimsfollowing the Detailed Description are hereby expressly incorporatedinto this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as aseparate embodiment of this invention.

Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some butnot other features included in other embodiments, combinations offeatures of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope ofthe invention, and form different embodiments, as would be understood bythose in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of theclaimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

Furthermore, some of the embodiments are described herein as a method orcombination of elements of a method that can be implemented by aprocessor of a computer system or by other means of carrying out thefunction. Thus, a processor with the necessary instructions for carryingout such a method or element of a method forms a means for carrying outthe method or element of a method. Furthermore, an element describedherein of an apparatus embodiment is an example of a means for carryingout the function performed by the element for the purpose of carryingout the invention.

In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are setforth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention maybe practiced without these specific details. In other instances,well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown indetail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

As used herein, unless otherwise specified the use of the ordinaladjectives “first”, 37 second”, “third”, etc., to describe a commonobject, merely indicate that different instances of like objects arebeing referred to, and are not intended to imply that the objects sodescribed must be in a given sequence, either temporally, spatially, inranking, or in any other manner.

All publications, patents, and patent applications cited herein arehereby incorporated by reference.

In the claims below and the description herein, any one of the termscomprising, comprised of or which comprises is an open term that meansincluding at least the elements/features that follow, but not excludingothers. Thus, the term comprising, when used in the claims, should notbe interpreted as being limitative to the means or elements or stepslisted thereafter. For example, the scope of the expression a devicecomprising A and B should not be limited to devices consisting only ofelements A and B. Any one of the terms including or which includes orthat includes as used herein is also an open term that also meansincluding at least the elements/features that follow the term, but notexcluding others. Thus, including is synonymous with and meanscomprising.

Similarly, it is to be noticed that the term coupled, when used in theclaims, should not be interpreted as being limitative to directconnections only. The terms “coupled” and “connected,” along with theirderivatives, may be used. It should be understood that these terms arenot intended as synonyms for each other. Thus, the scope of theexpression a device A coupled to a device B should not be limited todevices or systems wherein an output of device A is directly connectedto an input of device B. It means that there exists a path between anoutput of A and an input of B which may be a path including otherdevices or means. “Coupled” may mean that two or more elements areeither in direct physical or electrical contact, or that two or moreelements are not in direct contact with each other but yet stillco-operate or interact with each other.

Thus, while there has been described what are believed to be thepreferred embodiments of the invention, those skilled in the art willrecognize that other and further modifications may be made theretowithout departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intendedto claim all such changes and modifications as fall within the scope ofthe invention. For example, any formulas given above are merelyrepresentative of procedures that may be used. Functionality may beadded or deleted from the block diagrams and operations may beinterchanged among functional blocks. Steps may be added or deleted tomethods described within the scope of the present invention.

1. A computer-implemented method of designing a carton having aplurality of panels, each panel made up of one or more flaps, the methodcomprising: accepting carton structural information corresponding to acarton; forming a 2D unfolded model of the substrate that when cut andfolded according to the carton structural information forms the carton;forming a 3D model of the carton corresponding to the carton structuralinformation; displaying on a first display a 2D view of the unfoldedcarton design; displaying on a second display a perspective 3D view ofthe 3D model of the carton; providing for a user the ability tomanipulate the view of the 3D model on the second display; providing forthe user the ability to select a flap of the carton on the view of the3D model on the second display; as a result of the selecting of a flap,automatically modifying the view in the first display to be of theselected flap shown in an orientation suitable for the user to designthe selected flap; accepting a design of the selected flap from the userdesigning using the 2D unfolded view on the first display, including theuser placing graphics on the selected flap in the case that the selectedflap is one onto which graphics is to be placed; modifying theperspective 3D view of the 3D model to include any changes made in thedesign, such that the user has the ability to indicate on theperspective view, an action to be performed on the 2D unfolded view suchthat the 3D view provides for the user to select a flap for design, suchthat the 2D unfolded view provides for the user the ability to designthe selected flap, such that the perspective display of the 3D model isupdated to reflect a change made in the 2D unfolded view.
 2. A method asrecited in claim 1, wherein the automatically modifying the view in thefirst display is arranged so that display shows the selected flap rightside up, including temporarily rotating the 2D unfolded model asrequired to produce the right side up 2D unfolded view.
 3. A method asrecited in claim 2, wherein the automatically modifying the viewincludes determining the orientation of the selected flap in thethree-dimensional view to ascertain how the 2D unfolded model is to berotated.
 4. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:accepting from a user an indication of the location of a guide line on aflap; determining from the indication of the location of the guide linea guide surface such that the guideline is the intersection of the guidesurface and the flap; determining the intersection of the guide surfaceand the 3D model of the carton, the intersection defining guide lines onone or more other flaps that are part of the outer surface of thecarton; displaying the guide lines on the selected and other outersurface flaps on the 2D unfolded view, such that the user can use theguide lines to align graphics being placed on one or more flaps.
 5. Amethod as recited in claim 4, wherein the guide surface is a plane, suchthat the guide lines are straight lines on the selected and other outersurface flaps.
 6. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the indicationof the location of a guide line on a flap is provided by the user as aline segment of the guide line on the flap, the line segment havingendpoints, wherein the determining of the guide surface includes: usingthe 2D unfolded coordinates of the endpoints of the line segment todetermine which flap in the 3D model the line segment is on; determiningthe intersection points of the plane with the outline of the flap todefine the complete guide line on the flap; determining the orientationof the guide plane that is the guide surface.
 7. A method as recited inclaim 4, further including: providing for the user the ability tomanipulate the position of the guide surface relative to the 3D model ofthe carton.
 8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first andsecond displays are displayed simultaneously to the user.
 9. A method asrecited in claim 8, wherein the first and second displays are differentwindows on the same display screen of a computer system.
 10. A method asrecited in claim 8, wherein the first and second displays are presentedon a first and a second display screen of a computer system thatincludes a plurality of display screens.
 11. A method as recited inclaim 1, wherein the 3D model is represented by a set of surfaces madeup of one or more elemental surfaces, each elemental surface beingdefined by a set of points, and wherein the method further includesmaintaining for the 3D model both the 3D coordinates and the 2D unfoldedview coordinates of the set of points of the elemental surfaces.
 12. Amethod as recited in claim 11, further comprising: maintaining for the3D model an indication of which surfaces in the 3D model are horizontaland which surfaces are vertical.
 13. A method as recited in claim 11,wherein the elemental surfaces are triangles, and wherein the set ofpoints defining each triangles is the set of vertices of the triangle.14. A computer-implemented method of designing a carton having aplurality of panels, each panel made up of one or more flaps, the methodcomprising: displaying a 2D unfolded view of the carton on a firstdisplay; displaying a perspective 3D view of a 3D model of the carton ona second display; providing for a user the ability to select a flapusing the 3D view, and to add a graphic design to the selected flapusing the 2D view, updating the 3D view as a result of the adding of thegraphic design.
 15. A method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:as a result of a user selecting a flap, automatically modifying the viewin the first display to be of the selected flap shown in an orientationsuitable for the user to design the selected flap; wherein theautomatically modifying the view in the first display is arranged sothat display shows the selected flap right side up, includingtemporarily rotating the 2D unfolded model as required to produce theright side up 2D unfolded view.
 16. A method as recited in claim 15,wherein the automatically modifying the view includes determining theorientation of the selected flap in the three-dimensional view toascertain how the 2D unfolded model is to be rotated.
 17. A method asrecited in claim 14, further comprising: accepting from a user anindication of the location of a guide line on a flap; determining fromthe indication of the location of the guide line a guide plane such thatthe guideline is the intersection of the guide plane and the flap;determining the intersection of the guide plane and the 3D model of thecarton, the intersection defining guide lines on one or more other flapsthat are part of the outer surface of the carton; displaying the guidelines on the selected and other outer surface flaps on the 2D unfoldedview, such that the user can use the guide lines to align graphics beingplaced on one or more flaps.
 18. A method as recited in claim 14,wherein the first and second displays are displayed simultaneously tothe user.
 19. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the 3D model isrepresented by a set of surfaces made up of one or more elementalsurfaces, each elemental surface being defined by a set of points, andwherein the method further includes maintaining for the 3D model boththe 3D coordinates and the 2D unfolded view coordinates of the set ofpoints of the elemental surfaces.
 20. A carrier medium carrying computerreadable code configured to cause one or more processors of a processingsystem to implement a method of designing a carton having a plurality ofpanels, each panel made up of one or more flaps, the method comprising:accepting carton structural information corresponding to a carton;forming a 2D unfolded model of the substrate that when cut and foldedaccording to the carton structural information forms the carton; forminga 3D model of the carton corresponding to the carton structuralinformation; displaying on a first display a 2D view of the unfoldedcarton design; displaying on a second display a perspective 3D view ofthe 3D model of the carton; providing for a user the ability tomanipulate the view of the 3D model on the second display; providing forthe user the ability to select a flap of the carton on the view of the3D model on the second display; as a result of the selecting of a flap,automatically modifying the view in the first display to be of theselected flap shown in an orientation suitable for the user to designthe selected flap; accepting a design of the selected flap from the userdesigning using the 2D unfolded view on the first display, including theuser placing graphics on the selected flap in the case that the selectedflap is one onto which graphics is to be placed; modifying theperspective 3D view of the 3D model to include any changes made in thedesign, such that the user has the ability to indicate on theperspective view, an action to be performed on the 2D unfolded view suchthat the 3D view provides for the user to select a flap for design, suchthat the 2D unfolded view provides for the user the ability to designthe selected flap, such that the perspective display of the 3D model isupdated to reflect a change made in the 2D unfolded view.
 21. A carriermedium as recited in claim 20, wherein the automatically modifying theview in the first display is arranged so that display shows the selectedflap right side up, including temporarily rotating the 2D unfolded modelas required to produce the right side up 2D unfolded view.
 22. A carriermedium as recited in claim 21, wherein the automatically modifying theview includes determining the orientation of the selected flap in thethree-dimensional view to ascertain how the 2D unfolded model is to berotated.
 23. A carrier medium as recited in claim 20, wherein the methodfurther comprises: accepting from a user an indication of the locationof a guide line on a flap; determining from the indication of thelocation of the guide line a guide plane such that the guideline is theintersection of the guide plane and the flap; determining theintersection of the guide plane and the 3D model of the carton, theintersection defining guide lines on one or more other flaps that arepart of the outer surface of the carton; displaying the guide lines onthe selected and other outer surface flaps on the 2D unfolded view, suchthat the user can use the guide lines to align graphics being placed onone or more flaps.
 24. A carrier medium as recited in claim 23, whereinthe method further comprises: providing for the user the ability tomanipulate the position of the guide plane relative to the 3D model ofthe carton.
 25. A carrier medium as recited in claim 20, wherein thefirst and second displays are displayed simultaneously to the user. 26.A carrier medium as recited in claim 20, wherein the 3D model isrepresented by a set of surfaces made up of one or more elementalsurfaces, each elemental surface being defined by a set of points, andwherein the method further includes maintaining for the 3D model boththe 3D coordinates and the 2D unfolded view coordinates of the set ofpoints of the elemental surfaces.
 27. A carrier medium as recited inclaim 26, wherein the method further comprises: maintaining for the 3Dmodel an indication of which surfaces in the 3D model are horizontal andwhich surfaces are vertical.
 28. A carrier medium as recited in claim26, wherein the elemental surfaces are triangles, and wherein the set ofpoints defining each triangle is the set of vertices of the triangle.29. A carrier medium carrying computer readable code configured to causeone or more processors of a processing system to implement a method ofdesigning a carton having a plurality of panels, each panel made up ofone or more flaps, the method comprising: displaying a 2D unfolded viewof the carton on a first display; displaying a perspective 3D view of a3D model of the carton on a second display; providing for a user theability to select a flap using the 3D view, and to add a graphic designto the selected flap using the 2D view, updating the 3D view as a resultof the adding of the graphic design.
 30. A carrier medium as recited inclaim 29, wherein the method further comprises: as a result of a userselecting a flap, automatically modifying the view in the first displayto be of the selected flap shown in an orientation suitable for the userto design the selected flap; wherein the automatically modifying theview in the first display is arranged so that display shows the selectedflap right side up, including temporarily rotating the 2D unfolded modelas required to produce the right side up 2D unfolded view.
 31. A carriermedium as recited in claim 30, wherein the automatically modifying theview includes determining the orientation of the selected flap in thethree-dimensional view to ascertain how the 2D unfolded model is to berotated.
 32. A carrier medium as recited in claim 29, wherein the methodfurther comprises: accepting from a user an indication of the locationof a guide line on a flap; determining from the indication of thelocation of the guide line a guide plane such that the guideline is theintersection of the guide plane and the flap; determining theintersection of the guide plane and the 3D model of the carton, theintersection defining guide lines on one or more other flaps that arepart of the outer surface of the carton; displaying the guide lines onthe selected and other outer surface flaps on the 2D unfolded view, suchthat the user can use the guide lines to align graphics being placed onone or more flaps.
 33. A carrier medium as recited in claim 29, whereinthe first and second displays are displayed simultaneously to the user.34. A carrier medium as recited in claim 29, wherein the 3D model isrepresented by a set of surfaces made up of one or more elementalsurfaces, each elemental surface being defined by a set of points, andwherein the method further includes maintaining for the 3D model boththe 3D coordinates and the 2D unfolded view coordinates of the set ofpoints of the elemental surfaces.
 35. An apparatus for designing acarton having a plurality of panels, each panel made up of one or moreflaps, the apparatus comprising: means for accepting carton structuralinformation corresponding to a carton; means for forming a 2D unfoldedmodel of the substrate that when cut and folded according to the cartonstructural information forms the carton; means for forming a 3D model ofthe carton corresponding to the carton structural information; means fordisplaying on a first display a 2D view of the unfolded carton design;means for displaying on a second display a perspective 3D view of the 3Dmodel of the carton; means for providing for a user the ability tomanipulate the view of the 3D model on the second display; means forproviding for the user the ability to select a flap of the carton on theview of the 3D model on the second display; means for automaticallymodifying the view in the first display, as a result of the selecting ofa flap, the modified view being of the selected flap shown in anorientation suitable for the user to design the selected flap; means foraccepting a design of the selected flap from the user designing usingthe 2D unfolded view on the first display, including the user placinggraphics on the selected flap in the case the selected flap in one ontowhich graphics is to be placed; means for automatically modifying theperspective 3D view of the 3D model to include any changes made in thedesign, such that the user has the ability to indicate on theperspective view, an action to be performed on the 2D unfolded view suchthat the 3D view provides for the user to select a flap for design, suchthat the 2D unfolded view provides for the user the ability to designthe selected flap, such that the perspective display of the 3D model isupdated to reflect a change made in the 2D unfolded view.
 36. Anapparatus as recited in claim 35, wherein the means for automaticallymodifying the view in the first display is arranged so that modifiedview shows the selected flap right side up, including temporarilyrotating the 2D unfolded model as required to produce the right side up2D unfolded view.
 37. An apparatus as recited in claim 36, wherein themeans for automatically modifying the view includes means fordetermining the orientation of the selected flap in thethree-dimensional view to ascertain how the 2D unfolded model is to berotated.
 38. An apparatus as recited in claim 35, further comprising:means for accepting from a user an indication of the location of a guideline on a flap; means for determining from the indication of thelocation of the guide line a guide plane such that the guideline is theintersection of the guide plane and the flap; means for determining theintersection of the guide plane and the 3D model of the carton, theintersection defining guide lines on one or more other flaps that arepart of the outer surface of the carton; means for displaying the guidelines on the selected and other outer surface flaps on the 2D unfoldedview, such that the user can use the guide lines to align graphics beingplaced on one or more flaps.
 39. An apparatus as recited in claim 35,wherein the first and second displays are displayed simultaneously tothe user.
 40. An apparatus as recited in claim 35, wherein the 3D modelis represented by a set of surfaces made up of one or more triangles,each triangle being defined by a set of vertices, and wherein theapparatus further includes means for maintaining for the 3D model boththe 3D coordinates and the 2D unfolded view coordinates of the set ofvertices of the triangles.
 41. An apparatus carrying computer readablecode configured to cause one or more processors of a processing systemto implement a method of designing a carton having a plurality ofpanels, each panel made up of one or more flaps, the method comprising:means for displaying a 2D unfolded view of the carton on a firstdisplay; means for displaying a perspective 3D view of a 3D model of thecarton on a second display; means for providing for a user the abilityto select a flap using the3D view, and to add a graphic design to theselected flap using the 2D view, means for automatically updating the 3Dview as a result of the adding of the graphic design.
 42. An apparatusas recited in claim 41, further comprising: means for automaticallymodifying the view in the first display, as a result of a user selectinga flap, to be of the selected flap shown in an orientation suitable forthe user to design the selected flap; wherein the means forautomatically modifying the view in the first display is arranged sothat display shows the selected flap right side up, includingtemporarily rotating the 2D unfolded model as required to produce theright side up 2D unfolded view.
 43. An apparatus as recited in claim 41,further comprising: means for accepting from a user an indication of thelocation of a guide line on a flap; means for determining from theindication of the location of the guide line a guide plane such that theguideline is the intersection of the guide plane and the flap; means fordetermining the intersection of the guide plane and the 3D model of thecarton, the intersection defining guide lines on one or more other flapsthat are part of the outer surface of the carton; means for displayingthe guide lines on the selected and other outer surface flaps on the 2Dunfolded view, such that the user can use the guide lines to aligngraphics being placed on one or more flaps.